Today I rode...

and it was rather unexpected.

The day started with what was supposed to happen yesterday. Had everything gone the way it was planned, Selene would have had her new tires on and I would have had the rims polished. Of course, we all know what happens to the best laid plans.

Me and Joey went down yesterday with full intentions on removing the wheels, but that changed once I realized that I didn't have the proper tools. For the first time ever, Selene was up on her jack and fully stabilized. That entire ordeal took about an hour and a half and a whole lot of creativity, but nothing more then a forceful shove would knock that bike over.

With that done, I pulled out my socket set and quickly realized that all my sockets were too small for the nut holding the axle in place. Also, none of my adjustable wrenches would fit. Dejected, we took Selene off the jack and vowed to return the next day with the proper tools. That meant a shopping trip and a full day delay to my plans.

Flip to today and us browsing Sears and Canadian Tire auto centers which taught me a lesson: tools are really expensive. You see, I don't skimp. I refuse to buy cheap tools because I fully believe that you get what you pay for and if something is going to fail on you, it will do it when you need it most.

A quick bout of frustration and a phone call later; I find out that taking Selene to the dealership and getting the tires done there is actually cheaper then me buying the tools. Done deal. I can always ask for more tools for my birthday or Christmas.

Half an hour later we are at the storage place with Selene's battery and are quickly putting her back together. It took a few pushes of the start button and some nice words, but she sleepily came to life and was more then happy to navigate the hallways to the garage. I quickly gear up and hit the road.

-9 C (16 F) with the wind in mid March, I'm riding and it felt good. Free once again. It was hard to believe that the night before it had been snowing enough to cover everything. I got Strange looks from everyone, but at least they were looking. I guess it's hard not to notice the only bike on the road.

At the dealership I got the usual comments: Hardcore, crazy, committed. It was all in good fun and I love seeing the looks on their faces when I ride up and walk in.

So, there you have it. My last couple of days all summed up nicely. I don't have any pictures because I quite simply forgot to take any...oops. Brand new camera and I don't get any shots of my first ride of the season...heh. I promise to get pictures when I pick her up. I'm sure Selene will be more then happy to show off her new set of shoes.

6 comments:

Biker Betty said...

Congratulations. It had to of been fun getting all those looks and then the comments at the dealership. Bummer about the tools, but at least it was cheaper to have someone else do it. I look forward to seeing pics from your new camera of Selene.

Giest said...

Want to know the kicker? I just looked outside and everything is covered in snow...

*sigh*

Vinod said...

Awesome...got your first ride of the season ! By the way,I like the new look of the blog!

Christine said...

I can't believe how expensive tools are in Canada. I can't believe how expensive HD stuff is either...

Giest said...

Hey, Christine. Yeah, it kind of floored me when I realized the tools would cost me as much as getting the work done...ugh.

Netgrits said...

This dude is a real biker. I know of no higher complement. Makes you glad you're human.